1794·Paris

by [Guadeloupe]

Paris, 1794. 19pp. Quarto. Stitched as issued. Remnants of paper wrappers along spine edge. Lightly soiled. Very good. Untrimmed. In the 1790s, with the advent of the French Revolution, revolts broke out in many of France's Caribbean colonies, including Guadeloupe, where a sharp division occurred between the monarchists and the republicans, resulting in control of the island by the monarchists. One of the divisive issues on Guadeloupe was slavery and the rights of free people of color. A commission speaking on behalf of the "citoyens de couleur" was actively at work in Paris, striving to end the slave trade and abolish slavery. This commission was successful in its lobby, and the French government abolished slavery in 1794. In order to maintain control of the island, the monarchists asked for British assistance, with the result that the island was occupied by Britain from April to December 1794. This pamphlet is a petition on behalf of the citoyens de couleur, asking the French government to rescue republican prisoners from Guadeloupe aboard two British vessels. The petition vilifies slavery and the monarchists who would continue to enforce it, and lays considerable blame at the feet of the island's governor, Victor Collot. It includes extracts of letters by the primary participants and provides significant information on the rebellion in Guadeloupe. Only one copy in OCLC, at the British Library; another with a different imprint listed at the Bibliothèque Nationale. Not in Cundall, Sabin, or the Beinecke Lesser Antilles Collection at Hamilton College. (Inventory #: WRCAM43098)

The ABAA Promise

You can be confident that when you make a purchase through ABAA.org, the item is sold by an ABAA member in full compliance with our Code of Ethics. Our sellers guarantee your order will be shipped promptly and that all items are as described. Buy with confidence through ABAA.org.